The use of movable closures such as windows is well known in the art for transacting business through an otherwise impervious wall, typically in a drive up environment. In many instances the use of a pivoted window type opening is no longer a preferred manner in handling transactions due to security concerns especially dependent on the type of transaction taking place. For instance, drive up banking and automobile filling stations are two such locations wherein "drive-up" services pose a problem. Both business deal with large amounts of money potentially exposing the operators to robbery as well as the elements. To address this situation a number of devices have been devised to place a secure barrier between the operator and the public.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,200, issued to Richardson, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,243, issued to Anders, exemplifies the art regarding fixed barriers. Both patents address the problem described above by use of a robbery resistant transaction drawer. The disadvantage to the disclosed transaction drawers is their limitation in size and structural rigidity. The limitation in size makes the device suitable only for cash or small articles such as beverage cans. The structural rigidity defeats the robbery resistant qualities if the drawer is sized to allow large items to pass, accordingly a handgun may be extended through the oversize opening.
In this mobile age nearly every facet of society has discovered the benefit of dealing with public while in their automobile, most notably are the fast food restaurants. However, passage of food through an opening requires unique handling due to its variety of shape and size. For this reason most food transactions continue to occur through the use of an open window. The problem arises in that these operators must also deal with volumes of money making them potential targets for unsavory persons as described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,518 issued to Carlson discloses the use of a swivel drawer for passage of food. Carlson's device demonstrates the need for larger drawers due to the size of articles but fails to provide an absolute barrier between the operator and public during rotation, a failure due to its fixed structural rigidity.
What is needed in the art is an apparatus that allows for passing both small and large objects of dissimilar size through an otherwise impervious wall. In addition, the device needs to provide an absolute barrier between the operator and the receiver. For convenience the contents of the drawer should be visible. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings that the present invention is directed.